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I’ve spent a lot of time enjoying Campus & Community Recreation’s (CCR) facilities during my time as a student, including the Hanson Fitness and Lifestyle Centre and the Wilson Climbing Centre. Every time I visit, I get a chance to interact with some of CCR’s student staff, who are a key part of making these facilities run as smoothly as they do. But what’s it like to be a student staff member? I connected with two, Aidan and Hana, to find out.
Could you tell me a bit about yourself?
Aidan: I am an education student with a major in English language arts and a minor in social studies. Some people groan when I tell them this. It's true; I have a fantasy that I will enjoy reading everyone’s essays. People know me as a climber. It is something that I loved when it was hosted in the Pavillion and something that became a large part of my student life once I entered university.
Hana: My name is Hana Choi, and I graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing. My hobbies include climbing, walking my dog and most recently crocheting! The first thing you would notice about me is my height and yes, I welcome all the jokes that come my way about my height (but they are jokes! They have to make me laugh!).
Where did you start in CCR and what do you do now?
Aidan: I was curious about how to get a job at the Wilson Climbing Centre. I’m also shy. Once I was climbing late in the evening, lost track of time, and had to be “escorted” out by a kind staff member who wanted to go home for the night. I asked, “How do you get a job here?” She replied, “OhmygoshIlovemyjobyoushouldworkhere!” She stuck her neck out for me and said something like “my really good friend who is awesome,” and that was enough for me to be in touch with the right people. To be a competitive applicant, I received some Climbing Gym Instructor training and shadowed staff during summer camps. I then became an instructor, was introduced to the Competitive team, and after a few years, I became the head instructor of the competitive climbing program. This job combines travelling to competitions across Canada to support athletes, attending workshops, setting for in-house competitions and leading out in weekly climbing sessions.
Hana: I started working at CCR as a Recreation Facilitator for Instructional Recreation and Group Fitness. So our team was in charge of making sure that instructors’ classes were prepared to go once it started, for example, the sound system, equipment needed for that specific class and listening and fixing the issues that the instructors had. We also led Leisure and Craft nights at CCR, such as paint, plant, crochet and more!
Now, I work in Outreach and Promotions as an intern. My main tasks are social media and supporting Courtney Vollman (the Outreach and Promotions Coordinator at CCR) in bringing awareness to CCR and our surrounding community. I still support the Leisure and Craft Nights and am a part of the Common Casual Staff Orientation committee.
What was one thing you learned as a CCR student staff?
Aidan: I was never a competitive climber myself, and I have a lot of respect for the athletes who compete in our programs. It takes so much mental stability to not completely lose your mind climbing something complex in front of hundreds of people suspended in the air on a rope. When the athletes come down and ask you how they can improve, in those moments, your voice matters. I have learned to combine things like, “That was so cool!” “You worked so hard!” “You put yourself out there!” “Huge commitment!” with sport specifics, “You trusted your judgement with that sequence,” “Your pacing paid off in the steep section,” etc. That is to say, I am learning to speak a supplementary language, one that can help athletes make sense of big and emotional events and take those learning outcomes with them into the real world.
Hana: This question was probably the hardest question to answer because I think I learned a lot of soft and technical skills, but I think I’ve improved more skills than I learned. If I had to choose … I would say I have improved on my adaptability skills. CCR offers a wide variety of programs and opportunities, and they may seem similar from an outsider’s point of view, but there are a lot of different moving pieces within.
What was one thing that surprised you?
Aidan: The staff forms a close bond. Is that surprising? I’m not necessarily sure I have experienced a similar closeness in other employment. Some coworkers have met my parents and me, and theirs—that’s unique. Coworkers hang out after work, go on trips together, stick up for each other, listen to terrible music and study together, and those experiences are formative, exciting and long-lasting.
Hana: I surprised myself as a person who liked to take on new challenges and experiences. I am a person who is averse to change, so I don’t really go out of my comfort zone that often. You would never see me raise my hand first and volunteer myself to do something. Instead, I would be one of those students who avoided eye contact with their professor whenever they asked the class a question. However, when I started to work for CCR, there were so many opportunities for personal and professional development. Like I mentioned before, the Leisure and Craft Nights, I didn’t plan on leading them, but the next thing I knew, I had volunteered myself and I’ve been leading them till now. Even now, in this intern position, I’ve taken on new challenges and experiences that I wouldn’t have bothered to have done during my university career.
What is your favourite memory of the experience?
Aidan: I was leading a group of kids, most of them kindergarten-age, in some experiential climbing. The kids lined up, terrified by the height of the walls and awaited their turn to climb. I could hear chatter in the line, most of it doubt that they would be able to climb, suggestions not to look down and a few whimpers. One kid approached me when it was her turn to climb and said, “You know what I’m thinking about? Kethup thips (Ketchup chips).” She then climbed to the top of the wall and everyone cheered.
Hana: The people I work with and the people I interact with! I really think the people you work with make a huge impact on you as a person, which then (I think) bleeds into how you work. It’s like when you are greeted with a happy “Hello!” versus a curt “Hello.” (I hope the difference in punctuation gets the tone across), it kind of (well, for me especially) sets my mood for the rest of the dayApply now for a Fall 2024 student staff position in Campus & Community Recreation.